The Blessing
by Jolie.Mots
Summary: There was no other feeling like it: knowing your family was being torn apart and being too far away to do anything about it. A short story revealing what Carlisle went through during Renesmee's birth.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is story from Carlisle's Point of view when he gets the call from Alice telling him that Bella was giving birth. There is one more chapter to complete it. Once I get at least one review, I will update with the second half. Hope you like! Please let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

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The night was a deep violet tonight, the pinpricked sky above an inky indigo. Even in our haste to return back to the house where Bella was waiting in her precarious state, Esme and I couldn't help but dawdle a little in the open meadow, some few hundred miles away.

Her soft hand was clasped lightly in my own, our fingers wound gently around each other's. Even as we tried to enjoy a few moments of peace, we kept a brisk pace, not wanting to be too late, just in case. At the sharp memory of Bella's drawn, pale face, her swelling abdomen, and her loss of strength, the ever-present worry gnawed at my mind.

I rubbed my temples unnecessarily, trying to ease some of the pain. Dear Bella, even with how much better she was doing now, still weak, so devoted to her selfless love.

At that thought, I turned to my wife, my breath catching just as it had the first time we realized we were in love. Her serene smile was understanding, soothing, and sensual all at the same time. I found myself lost for words at the sight of her gently curved mouth, the flicker of her eyelashes as she tilted her head down bashfully in response to my admiring gaze.

I slowed our pace slightly, not wanting to go back to the harsh reality of home just yet. For one stolen moment, I felt almost as I had before this ordeal. The strain I felt at watching two of my children in agony slowly ebbed away at the merest glance from her honey eyes; the pain I went through as I watched my beloved son burn away from the inside out dulled as her gentle finger smoothed away the crease on my forehead; the remorse that tormented me as I watched my beloved daughter being torn between two beings so precious to her seemed to fade when she placed a sweet kiss on my cheek.

Finally, we slowed to a stop just a few yards from the edge of a young forest, and I turned to her face to face. As always, she wore a kind, patient look. My sweet Esme, so constant in her love, powerful in her soothing words, and faithful in her family. The only thing worse than my own suffering was watching her go through the same trials.

""My dear Esme," I murmured, brushing a lock of her caramel hair away from her face. Although she was looking at me so tenderly, I could see the pain deep within her soul, eating away at her. She hurt so much, seeing Bella the way she was; but her respect and fondness for Bella only grew with this most disastrous of decisions. A motherly respect, one that no one in our family but Esme could feel. Not even Rosalie.

She stroked my face, furrowing her brow questioningly.

"You mustn't be so hard on yourself." She whispered, staring into my eyes imploringly.

Once again, I felt the weight of all the burdens fall back onto my shoulders, and I turned my face away from hers, ashamed.

"I just wish…" I choked on the words and felt her soft touch on my face again. I grasped her hand and held it against my cheek, as if it would give me the strength to speak my most shameful fears. "I should be able to help her; I should be able to make her better."

Esme waited a moment, letting my words sink in before speaking herself.

"Carlisle," Her voice was like a ghost, feathery and quiet. "No one believes that you are failing Bella. Everyone sees that you are doing whatever you can. And you need to see the positives."

I looked back at her face, almost pleadingly. I searched her expression, hoping that I could find truth to her words there.

"Positives?" I whispered back, knowing that no one else could see me falter; no one could know I was breaking down like the rest of them. I had to be their leader, their father, and give them hope the way Esme gave it to me.

"Yes. All you need to do is look into her face. She has found new strength; she has color in her cheeks again." We both grinned at this. Bella's beautiful blush had always been something we adored about her.

"She does. If only we had discovered this remedy sooner…" my voice trailed off as she placed two fingers on my lips.

"And think," her face glowed now with whatever revelation she was about to share with me, "when this is all done with, there will be a new baby. A beautiful little baby. Edward and Bella's baby. Who would have believed such a blessing would be bestowed on us? Just a few years ago our despair had been for Edward being all alone. Now he has Bella! You are getting a happier Edward, a new daughter, and a grandchild!"

I couldn't help but smile at all of this. Esme was rejoicing quietly inside, her eyes glowing with happiness, her white smile glittering in the moonlight. Through all of this, I had been so focused on getting Bella and her baby out of this alive and I hadn't paid much thought to what would be if-no, _when_- I succeeded after.

A grandpa. I was going to be a grandpa! As Esme had pointed out, it was a blessing I had not dreamed to ask for of life. I took her hand again, turning to the woods. I had the strength now to return to my family. My family needed me, and now I would be able to return to them with a smile, albeit a strained smile, on my face.

But just as we began to run again, our stolen moment of happiness was shattered by the shrill ring of my cell phone.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Well, here is the second half to the story. I want to say thanks to Jeakat and LittlePixieCullen88 for taking the time to review. I love to hear what readers think, it really makes my day!

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

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_But just as we began to run again, our stolen moment of happiness was shattered by the shrill ring of my cell phone._

A swift glance at the caller ID told me it was Alice, and I instinctively sped up, a feeling of anxiety stealing over my brief joy.

"Alice?" I answered, praying that everything was ok.

"It's coming," she said shortly, and her words were followed by a shrill, pained scream in the background.

I released Esme's hand, now forcing my legs to go as fast as they could. How could we have been so selfish, milling around far away from home?!

"What happened?" I asked, my voice terse as I maneuvered around a large pine.

"Talk to Rose," I could hear Alice running up the stairs and the _click_ as she attached the earpiece. Another half second later, and I could hear the rustling sound that meant she was clipping it to someone.

"The placenta detached." Rose hissed rapidly as the blood curdling screams continued, followed by a sickening gurgle. Bella was choking, but on what? What was going on? What I wouldn't give to be there at this moment!

"You need to get the baby out now, Rosalie. The placenta detaching means that it isn't getting air. You have to get it out now." I commanded her, hoping to God that the birth wasn't advanced enough to mean the fetus had torn through the fetal sack itself. Bella's internal organs would be damaged immensely.

"Wait for the morphine to spread!" Edward yelled.

"Rose, there's no time. Tell him you have to get it out of her now." I pursed my lips, trying in vain to comfort myself with the fact that Bella was already in so much agony, she would probably not even feel the scalpel.

"No! Get him out! NOW!" This time it was Bella who was speaking, rather, screaming.

"There's no time." Rose hissed.

I tried to block out the other sounds; Edward's panic, the soft tearing of skin as Rosalie cut, and, above all, Bella's pain. I had to be Dr. Cullen right now, not their father. I thought through the thousands of scenarios we had come up with a solution for, hoping to come up with some way to help from a distance.

Just as I was about the give instruction again, I heard something that made my still heart ache.

"Rose, NO!" Edward bellowed, and I knew what was happening right away. How careless of us to let Rosalie and Edward go so long without hunting! How incredibly inexcusable, especially with so much blood around.

Within a second, there was an ear splitting crash, and in the next second a metallic crunch, followed by the line going dead, meaning the earpiece Rosalie had been wearing shattered. I slammed the phone cover shut and shoved it into my pocket.

This couldn't be happening. What a terrible turn of events, just when things had begun to look upward. I urged myself to go faster, to cover as much ground as possible.

Esme was silent at my side, and I didn't dare look at her face. As she had heard the phone call as well, I knew her expression would be one of fear, horror, pain, and distress. So I kept my eyes forward, looking ahead into the forest that seemed as if it would never end.

We wove ourselves silently through the terrain, pushing our inhuman speed to the limit, trying to will ourselves to be quicker.

Finally, we were about to descend over the other side of the mountain range separating us from home. The sky above had begun to lighten a little, the pinprick stars fading and the moon paling. On the east horizon the sky turned purple, which subtly faded to lavender.

We were almost home. We would be there soon. We would know what had happened after that disastrous incident.

By the time we broke through the forest and swiftly jumped the river, the pastel sky was light, dawn in full swing. But would this new day reveal relief or despair for my family? For the first time since we began our stressful journey, I turned to look at Esme and saw my emotions reflected back in her face, emotions too strong and deep to describe with words.

As we approached the house, I tried to sense what was going on inside. There was a strong smell of blood. That couldn't be good. And…a large heart was somewhere on the first floor. Jacob? Probably. Another sound, a humming…singing? A shift in weight somewhere.

I leapt the stairs and crossed the porch in one stride, Esme trailing slightly.

The only occupant of the first floor was Jacob, pacing back and forth, shooting anxious glances above, as if he could see through to the upper floors. What was wrong? There was only one reason I could think of that he would even think of still being here. Bella was still alive.

I didn't spare more than two seconds contemplating Jacob's reasoning, but instead gave him one quick nod of acknowledgement before bounding up the stairs.

Now I concentrated on listening to whatever sound may clue me in to what was going on as I made my way to the study, Esme still at my heels. There was a tense conversation going on in Alice and Jasper's room. I shifted my focus immediately, now hearing a quick thrumming, almost like hummingbird wings.

I also recognized the soft, velvet humming as Edward…was he singing? A half a second later, I came face to face with Rosalie, who was standing a little to the side of the study door.

"Carlisle," she greeted, her face serene and glowing…the baby must have survived.

I closed my eyes, catching a breath that bore no relief to the turmoil and confusion roiling in my chest.

"It's okay," I looked up as Rosalie whispered this assurance to me, her soft expression and encouraging tone colored slightly with smugness. Her eyes danced with the words she didn't have to speak, _I told you so._

"Come meet your granddaughter," the humming had stopped and Edward's silky voice floated out to us.

I pushed open the door, taking Esme's hand as we both made our way into the room. I scanned the room in a fourth of a second, taking in the hastily cleaned up puddles of blood, the still form on the table in the middle, the haphazard pile of books on the desk and dents in the wall signifying a struggle.

Finally, they landed on Edward, who was holding a miraculous little being in his arms. I felt my heart soften and my face melt into a smile, drinking in the beautiful sight of Edward with his daughter. She certainly was miraculous with a neat little head of bronze curls, skin as smooth and pale as ivory, a plump little hand that was resting on her father's neck, and wide brown eyes, as deep and warm as Bella's had been.

Mesmerized, I stepped forward, noticing that Edward held a look of peace and pride. He ran one long finger along the side of her face and her pink lips turned up into a glorious smile. She was perfect.

"Renesmee." Edward murmured, glancing meaningfully at Esme whom, I noticed, was gazing at the newest Cullen with the same adoration we all were.

"Renesmee," Esme repeated, her voice thick, as if she were about to cry. I am sure she would have if she could. "May I?" Esme held out her hands tentatively, her eyes beseeching.

"Of course, Esme," Edward answered then turned to his daughter, "This is Grandmother Esme, little one."

I suddenly remembered Edward's explanation of the child's advanced thinking capabilities, and eyed the baby with new, scrutinizing eyes. She was larger than a regular newborn, her frame slightly elongated, if only by a fraction of a centimeter, her features a little too matured. Certainly, her eyes were much too aware, and I was sure that by tomorrow she would probably be trying to learn how to hold her own head up.

"She is as puzzling and wondrous as her mother." Edward commented as he analyzed my thoughts. His voice had hardened at the mention of Bella, though, so I turned to the unmoving form on the table.

I sighed. She was covered with a sheet, but already I could see that she had suffered much to bring us the gift of Renesmee. I moved closer, pulling down the sheet carefully. Someone had dressed her in a camisole top and shorts, someone who had known that it would have to be practical for an examination.

No doubt Alice would see to a more appropriate outfit for the awakening. Edward snorted slightly in amusement, but his expression was still tormented. But I had to remain Dr. Cullen right now. I would get all the details about other things later on.

Esme drifted out with the baby to meet Rosalie, who was soon joined by Emmett. No doubt, they knew we needed no interruptions.

I prodded my fingers carefully along her torso, mentally checking off all the damage. _Broken ribs. Shattered, actually._ I amended as I felt along a few of the shards in her side, a faint yellow bruise showing that the venom was already working on that.

My deft hands moved down to the side, feeling at her back. _Her spine! _I looked over at Edward, who nodded grimly. _No wonder she can't feel anything yet._ Edward mumbled something about morphine, but I decided it best to wait until her transformation was further along to judge the reason for her silence.

I examined her abdomen, where the venom had already knitted the incision back together. All that remained was a jagged, angry red line reaching across her small form.

_The placenta?_

"Removed, of course." He answered.

_Organs? Her skin is already hardening. I can't feel anything beyond a few centimeters._

"I didn't really check. Nothing ruptured, and if there was something, she was already bleeding so much. It would have been difficult to tell. I was focusing on her heart."

We both paused for a second to listen to it now.

_So strong. So _vital_. How did you…?_

"Injection, straight to the heart." He held up a used syringe, a few drops of silver venom clinging to the plunger.

_Clever…. _Immediately my thoughts turned to theories, science, and medicine. Well, vampire medicine.

Edward ignored my pondering, brushing a few strands of matted hair away from Bella's face.

"Alice was waiting for you before she cleaned her up. Didn't want to interfere too much." Edward answered my questioning thoughts.

I nodded, before resuming my examination. A broken pelvis, some nerve damage it seemed, possibly a collapsed lung, but I couldn't be sure. The venom was working so rapidly, covering up the gruesome tracks of the most violent birth the world had seen.

I lifted Bella's wrist carefully, afraid to trigger the agony for her, and sniffed lightly. Morphine was still strong in her veins, but was it doing any good?

"What if-What if I…messed up? What if she won't-" Edward couldn't form his questions before his face twisted, unable to imagine Bella not waking up.

I clasped his shoulder and forced him to look at me. "Son, you did so well. I can't tell you how proud I am. I am sure she will be fine."

By seeing his face, I was reminded of his beautiful daughter, now down below with Esme, Rosalie, Emmett and…_Jacob?_

I turned to Edward, half formed questions shooting through my mind. He smiled a bitter, mirthless smile.

"We have a lot to talk about. Have you learned of Renesmee's little…quirk?" He smiled again, this time a little softer.

"She's gifted?" I was intrigued.

"Oh, you could say that." He replied.

Just as I was about to inquire further, Alice came dancing into the room, a garment bag slung over her arm.

"Both of you. Out." She commanded. But as I automatically made my way for the door, I noticed Edward giving her a look of incredulous disbelief, his hold on Bella's hand tightening slightly.

"Oh fine, but at least go and get the water basin for me." Once again, Edward defied her request silently.

Chuckling slightly, I went and retrieved Alice's silver bowl of water and its accompanying bag of toiletries. How wonderful it felt, to laugh again with true happiness.

My family was still whole. It was growing, encompassing more beautiful, loving beings. My heart swelled, and I made my way down to the group in the living room. Jasper had now joined them, his eyes glowing with some sort of magnetic love that we all had gotten at first sight of the magnificent infant.

Esme looked up at me, momentarily distracted from helping Jasper learn how to best cradle an infant.

We held each other's gazes, a knowing thought flowing between our locked eyes. Our stolen moments of happiness were rare and welcome, but it was here, surrounded by the love of our family, that we found ourselves truly content.

And that's how it would remain for the rest of eternity. How lucky we were.


End file.
